Central Mass. Farmers: Apple Crop's Early, Pick Now
Apple farmers are adjusting their plans to account for a harvest that is one to two weeks ahead of schedule, thanks to a warmer-than-usual spring. For some owners of the roughly 50 orchards in Central Massachusetts, which has more orchards than the eastern and western ends of the state, that means allowing the public to pick their own earlier than usual.
“We have to convince people to come out early, otherwise they will miss their favorite varieties,” said Andre Tougas, co-owner and manager of Tougas Family Farm in Northborough. “We knew this spring that it was going to be early, so we started letting people know that then through the website and through Facebook.”
The Tougas Farm Facebook page is active with people eager to pick apples and know when their favorite kinds will be available. But still, there are comments from people who say they're not ready and that it doesn't seem like it's time for apples and cider yet. That notion — that it's too soon for apple picking is another issue farmers must contend with.
It's the reason John Stephenson, owner of Bolton Spring Farm in Bolton, didn't open picking to the public earlier than the usual Labor Day weekend start.
“It doesn't really help because people don't really get into picking apples, for the most part, until after the 15th of September,” he said, adding that when the weather is warm, people are more likely to go to the beach.
But in North Brookfield, Brookfield Orchards opened its apple-picking season last week, a week ahead of schedule.Vice President David Nydam said business at the farm, which includes a year-round store, is in full swing, most likely because people who follow apple picking know the season arrived earlier this year.
But he said more fall-like weather would help business.
“People don't equate the apple picking thing with the hot, humid weather, so it needs that crisp, cool weather,” Nydam said. In the fall months, he added, it'll be mob-like here on a Sunday.”
Whether the public arrives as early as the apple harvest, farmers are determined to make use of what has generally been a good season. Tougas said the warm spring led to a long blossom, more pollination and in turn, bigger and better apples.
“We'll attempt to hold them on the trees as long as we possibly can,” Stephenson said of the trees on his 40-acre orchard. “Hopefully, they'll stay there. We spray them to try to keep them on there.”
If You Can’t Pick, Buy
But the farmers can't afford to lose what the public doesn't pick, so they'll harvest the fruit themselves for customers to buy pre-packaged.
Right now is the time for Honeycrisp and McIntosh varieties, about two weeks earlier than usual. Tougas said Galas, then Cortlands will follow, with more varieties after that, each about a week apart.
But while the harvest is plentiful at many orchards, some are having a tougher time. At Bird of the Hand Farm in Sterling, the long season of warm weather led to more pests and smaller harvests for Cathy Harragian. She uses plant- and oil-based pesticides on her 500 trees, but they weren't a good match for the pests this year.
Harragian said of her 20 varieties of apples, about nine are doing well. She specifically expects Roxbury Russets and Red Romes to be a great crop because they're late-season harvests; Harragian thinks they started growing late enough in the season to miss the bugs.
Harragian sells to stores like Worcester's Living Earth and said her buyers are waiting for the apples she harvests.
“The customers that I sell to, they were ready to take them … I was telling (the customers) that they should be really early,” she said. n
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